Wednesday, July 31, 2024

INTERVIEW: Multi-Genre British Author Barnaby Wilde AKA Tim Fisher


Tim Fisher

Although I publish under the name 

Barnaby Wilde

By the Sea in Devon, England

UK



 

Good morning, Tim, and welcome to Vision and Verse. I’ve read the Mercedes Drew Mysteries, Volumes One and Two. They was terrific! I loved them. Look for the reviews coming up onAugust 20 and September 3, 2024.  Can you tell us what else you’ve written? 

I am a fiction writer, with several novels and many collections of short stories and verse published as eBooks and paperbacks. My website is barnabywilde.uk All the books are available at Amazon/Apple/Barnes and Noble etc

 


What is your favorite genre to write? 

I have written in many genres, including sci-fi, cozy mystery, romance, humor, time travel etc but everything is written with humor and a sense of the absurd, including a series of books written as fairy tales for adults (sorry, no sex or violence, just laughs) full of princesses, dragons, court jesters and anachronisms.

 


Favorite food. 

I am an omnivore that enjoys all food.    



Tea or coffee? 

Tea for breakfast, coffee mid-morning and tea again in the afternoon.

 


Pizza or ice cream? 

Love both. Favorite pizza would be pepperoni and favorite ice cream, rum and raisin.

 


Wine or beer or soda or what? 

Not a big drinker, but I like a glass of wine or elderflower cordial with my meal and a beer when I’m out.

 


Where would you like to visit? 

South America, especially Iguassu falls, or Australia.

 


Favorite musical artist. 

Paul Simon, Tom Petty, Dire Straits

 


Do you listen to music when you write?  

I generally write in a silent room. Writing is essentially an antisocial activity that requires full attention without interruptions.

 


What makes you laugh? 

Absurd humor, Dad jokes.


 



Favorite work of art or sculpture. 
An impossible question to answer, it changes all the time. I can’t name a single favorite.

 


How old were you when you started writing? 

I wrote my first ‘story’ when I was about seven or eight years old. I have no recollection what it was about, but my father one finger typed it onto tiny pages which he stapled into a miniature book, sadly long since lost. I’ve written intermittently throughout my adult life, but only began publishing in my fifties. Initially, these were collections of verse (I hesitate to call it poetry), followed by a couple of novels and subsequently collections of short stories in various genres.

 





Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 

There is little planning. I have an idea and then the characters take over. Often, they take the story to places that surprise even me. I usually have an end in mind, but sometimes even this changes as the characters refuse to do what I tell them and take me to a different place.

 

Describe your perfect evening. 

I’m very much a ‘home’ person. I enjoy dinner with my wife, followed by an hour or two of TV, unless she drags me out to a music venue or a theatre.

 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Often, just as I am about to go to sleep. The best stories are those that I write in my head in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, they are often forgotten by the morning. I am rarely awake enough to make a note. Inspiration, though, can come at any time or place.




What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

It doesn’t happen very often, but if I do get stuck, I usually make myself write the next paragraph and come back and back to it until I’ve edited it, changed it, or replaced it with something that lets me continue. It will stay in my head the whole time until I have sorted the way forward.

 


Who is your favorite author? 

Kurt Vonnegut. I like his sense of the absurd and his understanding of the folly of human nature.



Best book you ever read. 

Breakfast of Champions, because it was the first Vonnegut book I ever read.

 


Last book you read. 

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty.



 


What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 

I am retired and writing is a part time occupation. My career was working for an international photographic manufacturing company, but if I were to live my life again, I think I’d like to be an architect or a garden designer.

 


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

Another tricky question. If I am only allowed one person, the answer can only be my first wife and the mother of my two children. If I can sneak in a second, then it would have to be my present wife because she challenges my preconceptions and takes me to places I would otherwise not find.

 




If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 

I am going to surprise myself here and say my mother. I think I have only begun to understand and fully appreciate her recently, many years after her death and too late to tell her in person.



What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

Just write.

 


Do you have some links for us to follow you? 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Barnaby-Wilde/author/B0067XT7D0

 

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/timgfisher (Barnaby doesn’t have his own Facebook page, maybe he should?)

 

Website  www.barnabywilde.uk  links to all bookstores and books on the website

 

Email  barnaby-wilde@hotmail.co.uk

 

Blog  barnabywildeauthor.blogspot.com

 





My style is very gentle. I want to entertain and amuse, not shock. I like word play and puns. I like to think that my stories or verses may sometimes surprise people, certainly make them smile and maybe even generate the occasional belly laugh.

 


The next book to be published will be volume two of Davey and the Holey Oak. Ten more short stories about an irascible old man always looking for the next big chance.

 


 









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Tuesday, July 30, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: Death Under Wrathful Skies by Blythe Baker


 

Death Under Wrathful Skies, Victoria Sedgwick Book 2 by Blythe Baker was an exceptionally well written mystery with multi-faceted characters and a murder, or should I say murders mystery plot to get all tangled up in. I could not put it down. Excellent! 








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Monday, July 29, 2024

ART: Cute Owl Art From Etsy


 

Because some days, you just need cute owl images to 

feel better. These adorable owls are from Pinterest,
 
available on Etsy from Alisha. Check her out! 

































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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.


Sunday, July 28, 2024

SCHEDULE:July 29 -August 2, 2024


 
Mon., July 29 - ART:
Cute Owl Art
Tues., July 30 - BOOK REVIEW:
Death Under Wrathful Skies
by Blythe Baker
Wed., July 31 - INTERVIEW:
Multi-Genre Author Barnaby Wilde
AKA Tim Fisher
Thurs., August 1 - TV TIME:
Ice Man, Time Traveler
(Peacock)
Fri., August 2 - BOOK:
Charming Deception
by Carol Ann Kauffman









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Thursday, July 25, 2024

TV TIME: Paradise (Netflix)

 


This was a surprise of a little sci-fi movie! A man (Max) works for a big pharma corporation that can transfer years of life from one person to another. Years are like money. You a sell years of your life for cash. 

Max is sent by the corporation to convince a specific woman, a dedicated doctor, to become involved with the company. Instead he falls in love with her and they get married. 

Unbeknownst to Max, his wife is a perfect match for the aging owner/of the corporation and they have been set up for disaster. 

This was a thriller with lots of twists and turns. 












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Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.












VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.


Wednesday, July 24, 2024

INTERVIEW: Romance Author Brenda Hasse

 

Brenda Hasse

Fenton, MI

USA


 

Good morning, Brenda, and welcome to Vision and Verse. What have you written? 

I have written both fiction and nonfiction and published indie and traditional. In fiction, I have written many genres – picture books for children, YA historical romance, second chance romance, romantic suspense, pre-teen historical mystery, metaphysical/visionary. In nonfiction, a human trafficking biography, ghost stories and history of Fenton, MI. In total, I have written sixteen books and am currently editing my seventeenth book.



What is your favorite genre to write? 

Romance



Favorite food.    

Chocolate



Tea or coffee? 

Coffee



Pizza or ice cream? 

Pizza



Wine or beer or soda or what? 

Water with lemon



Where would you like to visit? 

I have been to Scotland twice and would love to revisit it.



Favorite musical artist. 

ELO



Do you listen to music when you write? 

No.



What makes you laugh? 

My grandchildren.



Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

The Veiled Virgin by Giovanni Strazza




I love that one, too.

How old were you when you started writing?
 
In my 30s, but I did not publish for a decade or so. 



Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 

I define myself as a pantser. I use a character card for each character in my book. It contains physical and emotional characteristics that I refer to while writing. Even though I start with a basic outline, it may change as I write.



Describe your perfect evening. 

My perfect evening is in the company of family. Even though I enjoy my quiet time to write, being with loved ones is always welcomed.



Where do you get your inspiration?

 I like to think I am chosen to tell a story. Sometimes, the inspiration finds me. For instance, the book about a young woman who was human trafficked here in the United States happened during a book signing. The woman and I began talking and she shared her experience with me. After telling me her story, she admitted she had never told anyone else about her experience, not even her family. She didn’t know why she was telling me. I could think of no other reason other than I was supposed to write her story.



What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

I don’t experience it often. I try to always have something in mind before I sit down at my laptop to write.



Who is your favorite author? 

Jane Austen  



Best book you ever read.

 A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux



Last book you read. 

I read the ARC of Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles 



What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 

Knit, garden, spend more time with my husband and grandchildren. I am retired but worked as a computer programmer analyst and, later, a guest teacher in my local school district.



Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

My grandmother, because she was always there for me when my mother was not.



If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, would it be and why? 

Just one? There are so many – Jane Austen, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Leonardo DeVinci . . .it’s difficult to pick just one. 






What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

Write for the love of writing. A career in writing is an uphill climb, so don’t quit your day job. 



Do you have some links for us to follow you? 


 










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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: What Lies Beneath by Bill Kitson


 


What Lies Beneath by Bill Kitson was not one of those average, happy, “Good-Looking British Detective Inspector Solves Crimes in a Lovely Sleepy Village” novels. 

No, this tale is dark. Dark crime. Dark villains. Gripping action. Heartbreak. 

DI Mike Nash, is as flawed and lovable as they come. He is likable and believable. 

The story itself was sometimes hard to read because it brings to light the horrors of what evil men are capable of. 

Once you start reading this book, you’ll want to block off some time to finish reading it because you will need to know how it ends. 







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Monday, July 22, 2024

ART: Vintage Seed Packets



Beautiful art can be found all over! On the trees. In the sky. On seed packets, especially these old vintage ones. 





































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Sunday, July 21, 2024

SCHEDULE: July 22-26, 2024


 

Mon., July 22 - ART:
Vintage Seed Packets
Tues., July 23 - BOOK REVIEW:
What Lies Beneath
by Bill Kitson
Wed., July 24 - INTERVIEW:
Romance Author
Brenda Hasse
Thurs., July 25 - TV TIME:
Paradise
(Netflix)
Fri., July 26 - CHRISTMAS BOOK IN JULY:
I Need Christmas
by Carol Ann Kauffman











VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.